The Journals of Telwyn
by Unicorne
Summary: A young elven lad is sent out on a glorious quest to rescue a princess and retrieve valuable, ancient, wondrous documents while the stake of the entire kingdom is at hand. Will he make it, and who does he meet along the way? Find out.PGfor slight language
1. The Journey Begins

The Journals of Telwyn  
  
  
"Zik!! ZIK!!!!!" The voice came from the top of the hill. In a mad rush and scramble, the elven adolescent grabbed his towel and wrapped it about his waist. There was a child's giggle. The boy turned around, fuming.  
"Elora!" he snapped. His younger sister; she was about ten in human years. "I was bathing!!"  
Elora giggled again as she descended the hill down to the pond. "I know, I know, I'm sorry, but mammy wants you. You've received a letter."  
A letter? Who would send him a letter? The elven boy shook his wet head, sending water driplets flying from his sandy-brown hair. His brown eyes sparkled irritably at his sister. "Hold up," he told her. "Lemme get dressed, will ya?" This brought forth another giggle. 'Ugh,' Zik thought as he walked into the woods with his forest-green garments, 'girls.'He sighed, found a thick bush, and dressed himself. Taking the dampened towel with him he made his way out to Elora again.  
"A letter, you say, ah? What kinda letter?" he asked his sister as they headed towards their home.  
"I don't know," Elora replied, kicking a rock through the grass. "Mammy just said you'd gotten a letter and for me to go get you."  
"What did she look like when she told you?"  
Elora hesitated as she thought about it. "She...she actually looked kinda pale...I don't know, really..."  
Zik frowned slightly. Great. A letter, no idea who it was from, and his mother was pale as she summoned for him. He was concentrating so hard that Elora had to kick him after saying, "We're home!" about a thousand times. Zik looked up and, ignoring Elora, slowly stepped beyond the threshold. He glanced around the room and noted his mother standing by the window, the letter in her hand and her face turned away from him and his sister. She had the same fair, wheat-colored hair as Elora, and crystaline blue eyes. Zik had always thought his mother was one of the most beautiful of the Nerraynean Elves.   
"Mother?" He had stopped calling her the child term, 'mammy', when he had turned 12.  
His mother looked up, and her blue eyes were glassy; her face, tear-stained. "Oh, Zik," she said, forcing a smile. Zik could see right through it, though. "I asked your sister to fetch you. I'm sorry if she--"  
"Don't worry about it," he interrupted. "The letter. What is it, mother?"  
"The letter, yes," his mother held it out to him; her hand shook slightly. "It's...It's from the King, my dear son."  
Zik's eyes grew wide, his mouth parted and he stood rigid with shock. Perhaps it was a mistake -- a wrong address. It had to be. No one ever got letters from King Jovus unless...Zik shook his head. "Mother, are you..are you sure?"  
"My son, it does bear King Jovus' Official Seal. Take it and see."  
Zik reached out his hand and took the letter. Sure enough, there was the Seal. Zik stared. "But..."  
"My son, please wait until your father comes home. Then we may all read it as a family, together," his mother said gently. "It won't be long now, Zik."  
Elora stood in the background, silent for once. "A letter from King Jovus..." she whispered. "Mammy, why did Zik get a letter from the King?"  
"No one knows, my sweet, but we will soon find out," their mother replied, gentle as ever. She drew them both in a hug, knowing they all feared the worst.  
  
That evening, all three stood in their pleasant little cottage waiting for their father/husband. Zik still held the letter and he kept staring at it. His hand went up to run through his sandy-brown hair, and he unconciously brushed his pointed ear. Footsteps. Zik looked up; they all tensed. The doorknob turned, the door swung open, and in stepped his father. Zik had inherited his father's lively brown eyes and his sandy hair.   
"Padraig," their mother spoke up, addressing their father quietly. He glanced up and stopped when he saw them standing together in the middle of the room. He raised his eyebrows.  
"Mm?" Padraig furrowed his brow as he closed the door, shutting out the darkness from their candle-lit home. "Kaiya, what is it?"  
Their mother, Kaiya, came forward and kissed their father's cheek. He looked around at their troubled faces. "Kaiya...Zik, Elora, what is wrong?"  
Kaiya glanced at her son. "Zik, you may tell your father the news."  
Zik felt a lump in his throat and he coughed. "Fath..Ahem, father, I..I have something to..to read..and, well, I got this letter..."  
"A letter? Let me see that, my boy." Padraig reached for the letter as Zik held it out for him. They could tell he was shocked when he saw the Seal. "It's from King Jovus, addressed to you, Zik."  
"Yes, father," Zik replied in a soft voice.  
"Well open it and read it for us, my boy," his father answered gruffly, handing Zik the letter and settling down in the easy chair. Kaiya and Elora crowded around the chair while Zik sat on the stool in front of it. He slowly tore open the letter and pulled out the crisp sheet of parcement. It was beautiful; what writing! Zik gaped at it a while before his father cleared his throat to remind him to read it aloud.  
"Oh, sorry," Zik swallowed and began to read:   
"Dear Good Sir Ziklayzien of the Nerraynean Clan,  
A problem has sprung up within my court; a problem so serious the entire kingdom is at stake. Tales of your bravery have reached mine ears and I so forth call you to my court. I wish you to seek audience with me. Please come as quickly as you can for there is little time to lose. May the Gods above and about give thee grace,  
King Jovus"  
Zik now understood the difference between silence and utter silence. He could have sworn he heard his family members' hearts beating. He didn't dare look up.  
It was his mother who spoke up first. Her voice was shaking. "Zik, you have now reached the age of sixteen summers. This coming one shall be your seventeenth. You are old enough to make your own decisions, and..and we cannot hinder what you must..what you must do..." Her blue eyes became glassy once more as they filled with tears.  
"But mother, father, of what bravery does King Jovus speak of? I..I don't understand..."Zik stared down at the letter's beautiful writing.   
"Once you got Miss Caoilbheann's cat down from a tree..." Elora said softly.  
"My son, you are one of the bravest boys of our Clan, you musn't misjudge your own self--" his father started.  
"That's it!" Zik exclaimed, his brown eyes wild. "That Bard! That Bard who exagerated everything! He watched me in archery practice and he must've woven some absurd tale about me! I must admit, I'm pretty good at archery, but honestly..."  
"Then what will you do?" Elora inquisited.  
"I..I must go to King Jovus and tell him the mistake. The Bard must've gone to his court...perhaps he's still there and can explain everything..."Zik looked at his family. "I will come back, I promise. I'll even recommend some of the Clan's strongest and bravest men for the King...Am..Am I doing the right thing?"  
"Zikky darling, of course you are!" His mother swept him into a hug as her tears dampened his hair. "I was so worried, I thought...! But darling, you will be back soon, and be gentle with the King. We've all heard of his graciousnous, but my darling, be heedful to your Inner Spirit."  
"I will, mother," Zik promised. His father nodded. "My boy, I have no fear that you will be disrespectful. You are, after all, my son."  
"And my brother," Elora put in, and they all laughed. Zik would be leaving the next morning, and this night needed a little enlightenment.  
  
  
  
The next morning dawned bright and cheerful. It was decided that Zik would travel to the King's court with his best friend, a some-what large elven boy of 16 summers named Bromleah. Bromleah was studying to become a knight, and so desperately wanted to accompany his best friend on the journey. Zik bid a pleasant farewell to his family, and he and Bromleah set off down the dusty road leading away from the terrain belonging to the Neraynnean Clan. As they walked down the road the conversed together in the way only best friends can.   
"So what's up with this letter thing again?" Bromleah asked, snatching the crisp envelope from Zik's hands.  
"It's this..thing..And the King wants me to -- give it back!" Zik was trying to snatch the letter back, but Bromleah kept evading him.  
"Oh, so that's it, ah?" Bromleah chortled. "The King wants ya to give it back, huh?" He laughed; of course he was only playing around with Zik, the way best friends do.  
Zik had to laugh a little. "Naw, c'mon, gimme the letter Brom!"  
"Not until you tell me what this is all ab–whooaaa!" Bromleah tripped over a tree root as Zik grabbed for the letter again, and they both fell in a crumpled heap onto the dusty road. The two elves laughed and scrambled up, and Zik retrieved his letter.  
"Ok ok, I'll tell you now," Zik giggled. "So this Bard really cooked up a whopper story about my supposed bravery and King Jovus probably heard it and he sent me this letter asking me to come to his court."  
"But why? What's the big deal?" Bromleah kicked at a root.  
"He said there's this problem and that the entire kingdom is at stake..." Zik looked down at the Official Seal, his thoughts wandering.  
Bromleah glanced up, slight concern in his hazel eyes. "That sounds real serious, Zik. What d'ya think the problem could be?"  
"I have no idea...Anyway, we're just going to tell the King of his mistake, and to recommend some of our strongest and bravest men to help out instead."  
"That seems fair and reasonable," Bromleah said thoughtfully. "You may not have the bravery, but you've got the kindness of heart and a strong Inner Spirit." He winked.  
Zik shook his head a little, then blinked. "Heeeeeeey, whadda ya mean I ain't got no bravery?" Bromleah chuckled and Zik leapt for him, while Brom skidded away down the dusty road, Zik following close at hand.  
  
  
The two reached King Jovus' castle by noon on the third day. The stone fortress lumed above them, majestic and regal. Zik and Bromleah could only stare. They were standing at the castle gates, and one of the guardsmen cleared their throats.  
"State your mission," he coughed importantly.  
"Uh...Right, yeah...We..We seek audience with King Jovus," Zik faltered.  
The guardsman furrowed his brow. "Wherefore?"  
Zik blinked. Bromleah nudged him and hissed, "The letter!" Zik awoke and nodded.  
"Sir, I..I received a letter from King Jovus asking me to come..." Zik held it out for the man to see. Once the guard caught sight of the Official Seal, he nodded and opened the gates, and the two entered the palace grounds. A handsomely-dressed servant came to meet them and guided them up to the King's Throne Room, where they bowed low before their splendid ruler.  
"King Jovus, I am that Ziklayzien of the Neraynnean Clan that you bid come before you, and–" Zik began to say.  
"Splendid, splendid!" The King looked as though he might clap his hands in his joy. "Ziklayzien, I have heard much about you! And who is this with you?"  
"Oh, forgive me, gracious King. This is my best friend Bromleah. He is studying to become a knight. We–" Zik started.  
"Oh, positively wonderful, just absolutely pleasant! My dear boys, now, let's get down to business," the King had suddenly grown quite serious.  
"But–" Zik was confused now.  
"Ah ah ah, no buts! We must start at once." King Jovus clapped his hands twice. "Now, my boys, I set before you a quest."  
"A quest??" Zik's eyes grew wide, and Bromleah coughed.  
"Yes, yes, a quest! Jolly jolly good!" King Jovus looked as though he may giggle. "But this is a matter of great importance. The truly important Journals of Telwyn have been stolen!"  
Both boys gasped. They knew about the mystic Journals -- documents which held secrets beyond degree. The stories of the Journals were common bed-time tales for elven children.  
"And that's not all!" the King continued. "My daughter hath been stolen along with the documents!"  
Zik blinked. A daughter? Since when did King Jovus have a daughter?  
"And so I set before you a quest! Retrieve the Journals and my daughter and I shall reward you bountifully! Oh, and one more thing," King Jovus clapped his hands again, and in entered a servant accompanying a girl -- she looked to be their age. She had scraggly, curly red hair and glinting green eyes. If it weren't for her scowl, Zik thought to himself, she would be quite good-looking.   
"This girl, uhh...What did you say your name was, young lady? Oh yes, Branwyn. Branwyn has already volunteered to go on the quest. But...you see...I won't have her going alone, for she is a young lady, and I need strong young men to look after her. She will help you in your quest. Now go! There's not a moment to lose! We've lost so much time already..." King Jovus had hardly spoken before Zik, Bromleah and the scraggly girl were ushered away, given supplies, given a brief description of the Journals and Jovus' daughter, and were pushed out of the castle, down to the gates, through them, and out into the road again.  
The gates were closed. Zik sat up (they had fallen) and blinked. "Uh oh...This is not good...Brom, we're on a quest now! What are we gonna do????"  
Brom stood, dusted himself off, helped Zik to his feet and turned to the open road. "We must go, Zik. The King ordered us. It doesn't sound too hard...And if there's one thing that training has taught me, it's that that is the way it is done."  
Zik sighed. "Well, if that is the way it is done, then that is the way we must do it."  
"Exactly. First let's find a letter-carrier place and send letters to our families back home. I'm sure they'll understand..." The two elven boys began to walk away but tripped over something lying in their path. A sword. More than a sword; the girl's sword. She was glaring at them.  
"Ziklayzien, is it? Bromleah too? Ha." The girl snorted.   
"Well, who are you?" Bromleah didn't look too happy and he stood once again.  
"Branwyn, Warrior of Tethys." The red-head raised an eyebrow. "You don't look like much."  
Bromleah opened his mouth to snap something but Zik interrupted. "It's, uh, nice to meet you, Branwyn. I...I didn't know girls could be.."  
"Well?" Branwyn snapped. "Shows what you know."  
"Uhh...Anyway, we..we should probably go now...To that letter-carrier place and stuff..."Zik proposed, and he began to walk. Bromleah followed, and Branwyn soon after. Both were scowling by now. Zik swallowed. This was going to be a long quest.  
  
  
  
Now into their fourth day since leaving Jovus' castle, the three adventurers were travelling through a wood. Bromleah had gotten used to Branwyn, but she still never smiled. Either it was the scowl she wore or she simply had no expression at all. Her green eyes were sharp, hard and ruthless. Zik found himself becoming slightly nervous whenever she stared him down with her eagle gaze. He wondered what Bromleah thought of the girl.  
"I've just thought of something," Zik spoke up. "Where do we start looking?"  
"We search for clues, dumbass," Branwyn snorted thickly. "The thieves can't be too far away, for King Jovus lost no time in notifying the entire kingdom of the situation..."  
"Our village knew nothing about it," Zik blinked.  
"Well, the Neraynnean Clan isn't exactly what you'd call large." Branwyn glanced at him.  
"True enough," Zik sighed. "Say, how old are you, anyway? Aren't you a little young to be going on quests and stuff?"  
Branwyn's lips curled into a wry grin. "Sixteen summers, same as you. And I've been on the road all my life. I wouldn't speak of that which I know nothing about, Ziklayzien."  
"Zik. Have you?" Zik blinked.  
"Yeah. That's my life; I live as a warrior."  
"Good...We need someone with experience for this..." Zik glanced ahead. Branwyn looked at him suddenly, and Bromleah snapped, "Hey! Who's the knight around here?"  
"Sorry Brom," Zik grinned, and Branwyn intercepted.  
"What did you mean by that? Did you mean that you lied to the King?" Branwyn's eyes widened somewhat.  
Zik swallowed. "No, I don't lie. I...This Bard told this story that wasn't exactly true and King Jovus must've heard it and so he sent for me...Brom came with me...We were going to tell him of his mistake and recommend some others for the job, only we never got the chance, and here we are."  
"You mean you're inexperienced?" Branwyn said shrilly.   
"No, Zik never said that," Bromleah snapped. "We do have experience. I'm in-training to become a knight and Zik is really good at archery."  
Branwyn groaned. "Well, you'll have to do, I suppose," she muttered.  
"What'd you say?" Bromleah looked ready to burst.  
"Forget it, Brom," Zik cut in. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. Branwyn, do you know anything about Jovus' daughter?"  
Branwyn nodded once, curtly. "That I do. Princess Celestine, fair-haired and blue-eyed; the perfect princess. I'm not looking forward to meeting 'Her Grace'." She spat the words out as though they were poison, and Zik grimaced. He had never cared much for princesses of the usual kind, and actually agreed with Branwyn. Zik sighed.   
"Well, either way, she's the king's daughter," Bromleah put in. "And she comes with the Journals, so we must do our duty and rescue her."  
Branwyn snorted. "Of course, she'll be all over you fellas as soon as ye do. You realise this, aye?" Her golden-green eyes laughed at the elven lads, and Zik kicked at a root in the ground.  
"It must be done," Bromleah said, closing the issue after a long, thoughtful silence.   
Zik nodded absent-mindedly, and glanced at Branwyn. "Clues, is it? All right. We had better get to work, 'else we won't have much time. Anything could happen to that princess and the Journals if we were to let the minutes drag on."  
"Wisely reasoned." Branwyn grinned; a sardonic, jeering grin, and the three kept their eyes on the path and the roadside, mercilessly tearing the scape for clues. Were there more than one that stole the Journals and captured the princess? What did they want with the girl? Any traces? The answers, they knew, would come in time.  
  
  
  
The onslaught of evening found the comrades situated about a crackling fire, while the darkness crept in around them. The three pairs of eyes stared endlessly into the bright flames as they licked at the sky and sent forth sparks into the blackness overhead. Zik was pondering over the problem they had on their hands, and knew the others were thinking the same. Often, his mind drifted back to his family's cottage on the hillside, in Neraynnean territory. He thought of his mother and father and sister; had they received the letter yet? What were they thinking? Zik, all alone -- no, with Bromleah, and a strange girl who was more like a boy. But to go rescue a princess? And more serious, to retrieve the mystical Journals of Telwyn? Zik realised that he and his friends were yet only children. But they were children who knew how to listen to their Inner Spirits. At least, he knew he and Bromleah could; he would have to ask Branwyn about her own Inner Spirit when the time came.   
But tonight -- what was tonight? Zik glanced up at the moon; a crescent, still slightly new. Early in the week. He could not even remember when it was he and Bromleah had set out for Jovus' castle.   
Celestine... Didn't that name have something to do with the stars? Celestial. Astral. The stars. The skies.   
His Inner Spirit spoke to him, there, then. Before the fire. Watching the flickering light reflected off his friends' faces. Now.  
"...The stars..." Zik whispered. Bromleah and Branwyn glanced at him, and the latter snorted softly.  
"What?" Bromleah blinked.  
"...The stars..! Why didn't I...? That's where she is..! And the Journals...!" Zik stood, his brown eyes wild with sudden realisation.  
"Calm down, Zik," Bromleah told him. "What are you talking about? Thought up something new on the quest, have you?"  
"Yes, yes! I think I know where whoever it was that did it is hiding the princess, and the Journals!" Zik grinned. "The StarBlink Mountains! Maybe in a cavern of some sort, like the Caves of the Crystal Tears, or the Cavern of Eternal Luster!"  
Brom stood and paused, thinking. Branwyn remained silent and still.   
"...But how do you think..?" Branwyn began.  
"Her name! Celestine! It's a clue in itself.. And the turn-off back there, that we weren't sure about...We didn't listen, They were telling us, but we didn't hear Them..." Zik trailed away.  
"Who?" Brom frowned slightly.  
"Our Inner Spirits! They're guiding us...We hesitated...were about to take the left fork...that led to the StarBlinks...And Branwyn, you said you'd thought you'd seen footprints, right?"  
"It's a road; they could have been anyone's footprints," Bromleah pointed out. "And it's a long, long journey to the StarBlink Mountains...with many, many dangers. And they're inhabited by...well, by you know..."  
Zik looked at Bromleah. "You're not afraid of Her, are you?"  
Brom frowned. "You are too. Who wouldn't be?"  
"I'm not," Branwyn stood, glaring at them defiantly. "I'm not."  
"You're a looney," Brom growled lowly. "You're crazy if you think you can stand up to Her. She rules all there, and She knows it. She knows fear when she comes upon it. She has no mercy."  
"Have you ever seen Her? How could you ever know?" Branwyn snapped.  
"I know because...because..." Bromleah scrambled for a reason, fuming.   
Zik had remained thoughtful and quiet as the two argued (once again). "Firedream...No, Brom, she has a point, though she's foolish to say she does not fear the dragon. The Mighty Lady. Firedream... She is exactly why they'd hide there. There are too many places of concealment, and no one would dare enter the Lady's territory."  
"Except the thieves," Brom said.  
"Providing they have a reason to think they will not be harmed by Firedream..." Branwyn stated slowly.   
"What do you mean?" asked Zik.  
"...I don't know...it's just that, well, no one would enter Her territory unless they felt absolutely sure they were in no danger."  
"Why would they ever think that?" Bromleah frowned again.   
"Look, I don't know, ok?" Branwyn snapped at him. "I'm jus' tryin' to reason here!"  
"No, you've got another good point. We'll keep it in mind. Now, we sleep." Zik threw dirt on the already dying fire and settled into his sleeping tussac while Brom and Branwyn did the same. It was not long before they all fell fast asleep. 


	2. The Ullais

Zik was awakened the next morning by voices. His friends had never bothered to wake him, he noted with slight annoyance. With a sigh he sat up. Branwyn and Bromleah by the fire turned their heads at the movement, and his best friend grinned at him.   
"Mornin'," Brom said. "Hungry? Turns out Branwyn's a pretty good cook.."  
"Good morning." Zik clambered out of his sleeping tussac and joined his friends at the fire. "So now when you find how she can cook, you decide to get along with her?" He winked at Brom, who pushed him. Branwyn laughed. The two boys looked at her in slight surprise. The freckle-faced girl blinked.  
"What?" she asked.  
"You laughed," Zik said in wonder. "You..You haven't laughed since we joined together, is all.."  
Branwyn was silent for a while before she sniffed decidedly. "I can laugh."  
"But you don't," Brom pointed out.  
"Well... I don't have much to laugh at, usually."  
"We can take care o' that, can't we, Zik?" Bromleah chuckled, and Zik nodded with a grin. After breakfast the three packed up and set off down the dusty road again, this time heading West, where the SnowBlink Mountains lay many, many weeks away. They conversed together as they walked, for they were becoming fast friends, though Branwyn and Bromleah got into little arguements sometimes. Zik was always there to intercede, however.  
It was early afternoon when the group broke through the trees and came upon a meadow.  
"That's odd," Branwyn spoke up, shielding her eyes and gazing across the open field before them.  
"What is?" Zik asked, curious.  
"The silence...The birds that we've been hearing since this morning...They're no longer singing...Not in this meadow.." Branwyn furrowed her brow.  
"..Is that bad?" Zik ran his earth-toned eyes over the field.  
Branwyn snorted. "Of course it is. Or..well, it might be. Keep your eyes peeled. Anything could happen. Out there, we are unprotected, for there are no trees or bushes to shield us. We must be careful."   
They set off across the meadow, flitting their eyes this way and that, watchful and wary. They had barely reached the middle of the great field when the ground in front of them slowly began to move. Zik drew back and gasped. Bromleah reached back for his spear, while Branwyn unsheathed her sword. Zik took out his small bow and arrows. The ground before them rose up to uncover a large, hairy beast, with fangs for teeth and hideous claws.   
"What is it?" Bromleah cried.  
"A Ullais, belonging to the family of Freyanothus!" Branwyn answered, brandishing her sword. The light glinted fiercely off the blade, causing the beast to screech out in pain as the blinding light glanced off its blood-red eyes.   
"Do we have to fight it?" Zik shouted above the din of the roaring animal.  
"Damn you, Zik! What the hell do you think?!" Branwyn cursed. "That we stand up and give him a bouquet?! Don't worry, I know how to take care of this thing!! Bromleah, Zik, distract it." Quick as a flash, Branwyn began to scurt about the beast, confusing it, while Bromleah used his weapon and Zik took out his slingshot and shot various rocks at the creature's head. The warrior girl slashed her sword at the beast's leg, and then leapt onto its back, plunging the blade into its neck with a cry of steel-studded anguish. The beast let forth an ear-splitting yowl as Branwyn jumped from its back, sword in hand, and landed (literally) on Zik. They were both sent crumpling to the ground. The beast was already running swiftly away, blood gouging from its body.  
Bromleah ran over as Branwyn helped Zik to his feet. "Sorry about that," she told him. "But, you see, I needed to land isomewhere/i..."  
"Ouch," Zik grunted, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's ok..And geez, were you ever somethin'..I mean.." He felt his face become hot under Branwyn's stare, and looked away. Bromleah had to admit upon Branwyn's stunning performance, and they all collected their wits, etc., and kept on. 


End file.
